<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Animals and Bite by pyromanicofthesea</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28284177">Animals and Bite</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea/pseuds/pyromanicofthesea'>pyromanicofthesea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Pridecember Winter Wonderland [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, M/M, werecreature turning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 12:08:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,921</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28284177</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea/pseuds/pyromanicofthesea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Ever since the werecreatures were first discovered, to go out on a full moon night was to go out seeking trouble. Kaiba knew that, and yet still he went out, because the walk from his corporate office was barely ten feet from the door to the car. He couldn't leave behind work that needed to be finished that night just because the moon was in a certain phase. It was only a ten foot walk from door to car. He should have known better.</em>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Atem/Kaiba Seto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Pridecember Winter Wonderland [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Animals and Bite</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since the werecreatures were first discovered, to go out on a full moon night was to go out seeking trouble. Kaiba knew that, and yet still he went out, because the walk from his corporate office was barely ten feet from the door to the car. He couldn't leave behind work that needed to be finished that night just because the moon was in a certain phase. It was only a ten foot walk from door to car. He should have known better.</p>
<p>The attack was foreseen, but for once he was not fast enough. The teeth of a half-turned man tore through his suit sleeve and pierced his flesh. Despite the insistence by his driver afterwards that there was a chance the half-turned had no venom, that antidotes were surely available for the weak venom of the newly turned. Kaiba knew deep in his heart that the words were meaningless, he would turn the next full moon, the animalistic features he would gain would need to be worked with, and the situation was out of his hands the moment those teeth sank into his skin.</p>
<p>He hoped for Mokuba's sake he would not become a dangerous animal. A nice frog, maybe a bird, or even a butterfly. Something without teeth or claws so he could not accidentally infect Mokuba if they encountered each other on a full moon. Perhaps he should send Mokuba away, but he knew Mokuba would be heartbroken.</p>
<p>Kaiba needed to get used to heartbreak. He would have to tell Atem. They had dates planned and the turning process was unpleasant for the first month. He didn't know how to tell Atem their regular dates for the next month would need to be postponed. Cleaning the bite would have to come first. He could tell Atem later, when the situation was more eminant. He wouldn't develop venom until the turning began. A fever, and venom development shortly after, slowly resorting more and more to the instincts of the werecreatures until the full moon.</p>
<p>The car could not drive him home fast enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kaiba went directly into the main bathroom as soon as he arrived at the manor, Mokuba hot on his heels asking what was wrong. Mokuba grew silent as Kaiba removed his suit jacket and the button-up underneath, revealing teeth prints that were still bleeding. No words were shared as Kaiba rinsed and dried the wound. Only once he applied the healing salve from the medical cabinet did Mokuba break the tense silence.</p>
<p>"So you're going to turn into an animal now?" he asked with wide eyes as he watched Kaiba clean the wound on his arm. "That's so cool, Nii-sama!"</p>
<p>Kaiba felt himself internally cringe at Mokuba's excitement. Being bitten was definitely <em>not</em> 'so cool', but he didn't have the heart to tell Mokuba the gritty details. Mokuba's childish wonder towards magic-found-science lifted his spirits just a little. Just enough to stop planning for the end of the world sort to speak. "It might not be cool. I might turn into something ridiculous. Like a chipmunk."</p>
<p>Mokuba stared at him as if he grew a second head. "Did you just make a joke? Wow, you must really be feeling sick already."</p>
<p>"Maybe," he replied, taking the out while he had it. He secured the bandage wrap on his arm. "I'm going to go to bed." They both knew that was a lie as Kaiba headed up the stairs towards his bedroom.</p>
<p>Kaiba did in fact not go to bed. Instead, he sat at his bedroom desk and logged into the recently updated Duel Monsters MMO. Now more than ever, he wanted to forget everything in the real world existed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His fever hit four days after the bite. It was not that high, but high enough that he felt it and high enough that he worked from home that day. He was thankful no news of the bite hit the press yet. Working from home was not unheard of for him even if he did prefer the motivation of his office, but he worried that the more time he spend home, the more people would notice. Company stock shares could drop. He would just have to trust Mokuba to keep the company in line. There was no point in having a vice president if he could not rely on him when needed.</p>
<p>Sleeping in was not uncommon when one was sick, but it still felt wrong to awaken late in the afternoon after a lifetime of an alarm ringing at 6:00 AM sharp. The warmth of the bed did its best to beckon him to return as he exited. Their siren song was disregarded as Kaiba slipped on a pair of slippers and headed downstairs to brew coffee.</p>
<p>There was only so much coffee could cure. Despite the strong brew, the fogginess from his fever remained. He had half a mind to go back to bed, but knew he needed to work now before he became any worse. It was only the fourth day. He had a long turning experience ahead of him. Instead of making a decision, though, he sat at the kitchen table and scrolled through his phone. The text tone chimed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[15:43 Tues]</p>
<p>From: Atem ❤</p>
<p>
  <strong>Mokuba told me what happened. I'm coming over.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kaiba frowned at his phone, realizing he forgot to tell Atem. Didn't Atem know it was dangerous to be near him now though? He still had control of his actions as far as he could tell, but he could feel the venom drip from his teeth. He couldn't guarantee Atem's safety until after his first change.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[15:45 Tues]</p>
<p>To: Atem ❤</p>
<p>
  <strong>Do not come over.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[15:46 Tues]</p>
<p>From: Atem ❤</p>
<p>
  <strong>One good reason.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[15:48 Tues]</p>
<p>To: Atem ❤</p>
<p>
  <strong>Fever of 37 and rising. Do not come over.</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[15:51 Tues]</p>
<p>From: Atem ❤</p>
<p>
  <strong>I will not let you go through this alone</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>[Calling... Atem ❤]</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Seto, don't you dare try to change my mind." He certainly wasn't expecting Atem to answer the phone so harshly. He frowned at nothing, holding his phone to his ear with one hand and his cup of coffee with the other.</p>
<p>"Don't be stupid, Atem," he hissed into the phone. "I have a fever. That means from now until the next full moon, I could lose control and turn you."</p>
<p>"Then turn me!" Atem shouted into the phone. Kaiba held the phone away from his ear out of necessity. He could hear Atem speak a little softer, so he moved the phone back. "-eto, please. One way or another, I'm going to come over so you're not alone. If you lose control, and if you bite me and I turn too, then so be it."</p>
<p>"Atem." Kaiba tried to say more, but his words choked up in his throat.</p>
<p>"I've already made up my mind," Atem told him. "Besides, this way there will be someone to help if Mokuba is still staying with you."</p>
<p>Kaiba felt his heart drop. He hadn't thought of that. Mokuba had agreed to split the house for the time being, leaving the upstairs as Kaiba's and the downstairs Mokuba's except during mealtime hours - meals which they both agreed to be taken to their separate rooms to minimize potential encounters - when entering the downstairs was necessary, until Kaiba's first change. Kaiba would very well be acting on instinct more than consciousness the closer to the full moon he got though. He could very well end up attacking Mokuba without knowing it and the very suggestion chilled him to the bone. He wanted to argue, to refute it, but he knew Atem had a point. Was he really willing to risk Atem for Mokuba's safety?</p>
<p>"Okay," Kaiba said after a long moment of silence. "But you have to be careful."</p>
<p>"I will be."</p>
<p>"I mean it, Atem. You <em>have to</em>."</p>
<p>"Kaiba," Atem said softly. "I swear it. I'll be careful. I'll be over in a half hour, alright? I'll see you soon."</p>
<p>"Yeah, alright," Kaiba said. "See you soon." He hung up the phone. It felt heavier than usual in his hand. He sighed and sipped his coffee. He had a very bad feeling about this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Three weeks later, three days before the full moon, Kaiba sunk his teeth into Atem's shoulder as Atem held him back. Mokuba had long since ran from the room after Atem shielded him, giving him a moment to escape when Kaiba tried to corner him in his feral haze. Atem clung to Kaiba despite the pain that radiated from his shoulder. He felt no regret though. He knew, deep down, the moment he stepped through the doors his fate was sealed.</p>
<p>Atem helped Mokuba pack an overnight bag once he had the opportunity to slip away, once he was certain Kaiba would not follow him to Mokuba. The entire time the two packed, Mokuba watched Atem with wide, sorrowful eyes. Atem put a hand on Mokuba's shoulder, trying to give him some reassurance that he would be alright.</p>
<p>He drove Mokuba to the penthouse near the coast afterwards. The drive left him feeling at his most balanced, windows down, the chill evening air flowing through his hair. He felt weightless on the road.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry this all turned out like this," Mokuba said after Atem parked in the penthouse driveway.</p>
<p>"We'll be fine," Atem assured him. He gave Mokuba a warm smile. "Seto cares about you more than anything, Mokuba. As long as you're fine, he'll be fine."</p>
<p>"What about you though?"</p>
<p>Atem was quiet for a moment. He hadn't given himself much consideration. "Me? I'm just hoping I don't turn into something silly. I don't think my opponents will take me very seriously if I'm dueling as a chipmunk." Mokuba snickered, but Atem had a feeling he wasn't off the hook just yet.</p>
<p>"Atem, really though."</p>
<p>"I'm not looking forward to the next month, but the world isn't ending for me," Atem said honestly. "This doesn't even make my Top Ten."</p>
<p>"Don't let Nii-sama neglect himself," Mokuba said with a nod. He waved to Atem and headed up the steps. Atem didn't drive away until he saw Mokuba unlock the door and head inside.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the full moon rose in the sky, Atem awoke to a large lizard clamoring up the side of his bed, trying and failing to get atop the duvet. He sat up, but stayed under the bed sheets to avoid the lizard's long fingers. As he was able to take a closer look, he realized the large lizard looked like an oversized long-tailed grass lizard. He reached out and his hand was nudged by the snout of the lizard in a way that could only be described as affectionate.</p>
<p>"Seto?" Atem asked the lizard, who licked his hand. He took that as a yes and helped the lizard onto the bed. It should have been obvious from the moment he saw the lizard, as if Kaiba could have ever changed into anything except the modern equivalent of a dragon.</p>
<p>Atem pulled the covers over the lizard to help keep him warm. He didn't know much about reptiles, but he worried the controlled temperature of the manor wouldn't be high enough for him.</p>
<p>"You better take care of me when I turn," Atem said. The lizard's tongue flicked against his cheek. He ran his hand down the lizard's back, admiring the smooth scales under his palm as the lizard shifted to press closer against his side. "I know you will, Seto."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Could I have turned Kaiba into a Komodo dragon? Yes. But I wanted to keep the wereforms indicative of personal origin, and Komodo dragons are not in Japan. Grass lizards are very cute though. If you like reptiles, I highly recommend looking at them :3</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>